How a Simple Murmur Ruined His Life
by Ivy Devi
Summary: "Aren't grandmothers supposed to be nice and get you candy and stuff?" asks a tired Charlie. "I'll make you a deal..." Grandma Bone starts. From there the world of Charlie Bone starts to falls apart. After book 4.
1. Chapter 1

**I own this plot. That's it so far.**

Charlie sat up in bed. It was Monday morning so it wasn't too unusual that he was up early, but this was different.

He glanced at his clock... well... he was too tired to decode the clock right now... it was dark outside. Yeah well... maybe Uncle Paton knew what time it was... if only Charlie weren't so tired he could get up and ask... he sat up... he sat up... he tried to sit up... he fell back down.

Well! Thought Charlie irritably.

Suddenly he heard Grandma Bone scream- probably at Uncle Paton- he couldn't hear quite what she said, but Paton shouted back.

Charlie managed to drag himself out of bed and into the hall.

"What time is it?" He moaned. "I'm going to be tired and miss the bus!" He tried to speak his grandma's language.

"Humph, Paton, you heard the boy, he can't sleep with your shouting!"

"I do believe that it's your screeching that is keeping him awake, am I right, Charlie?"

"It's both of you!" Charlie stormed into his room and passed out on his bed.

"Charles Bone, wake up!" Grandma Bone came in and slapped him as though he were some sort of animal... though even animals shouldn't be treated that way.

"Aren't grandmothers supposed to be nice and buy you candy and stuff like that?" Asked Charlie wearily.

"Maybe I would if you were good," she retorted slapping him again.

"I am good," insisted Charlie.

"Tell you what, if you're good-in my sense- for a day I'll buy you candy."

Charlie had not expected that... at all.

"It's not like you're going to be seeing me at all this week."

"Lucretia can keep an eye on you," She snapped. "So do we have a deal?"

It was early in the morning and Charlie really did like candy so... well when you don't get much sleep you say things you really don't mean. Like now for instance.

"Whatever... sure..." what was the worst that could happen? It was just one day.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucretia Yewbeam, the school matron and Charlie's great aunt stood waiting for him at the door of Bloor's just as he had feared.

"Follow me!" She snapped and with that she dragged him off to her room in the east wing.

"Grizelda phoned me this morning," she started.

Charlie groaned.

"You have to be good at least one day this week while you're at school. Got it?

"Venetia is going to be your monitor-"

"She never said anything about a monitor!"

"How are we supposed to know how you behave?"

Charlie sighed.

"So, have you got it?"

"Yeah, sure..."

"Quit it with the smart mouth!"

"Yes, matron."

"Get out of my sight!" Charlie was only too glad to leave. He was not too glad to find Venetia Yewbeam waiting outside of matron's room.

"You're going to be late for class, Charlie," Venetia said, a little too sweetly for someone who didn't have a house talking to the person responsible for, said houselessness. "And you won't be taking music anymore- you're helpless at it and it's not like I'm good enough to teach you music.

"You're going to be taking art. Sewing."

Great.

"Here's your cape." Venetia held out a green cape.

"I am NOT going to wear that."

"Why?"

"Hello! Aunt Venetia, cape... sound familiar?"

She laughed softly.

"Do you really think I bewitched your cape?"

"Yes."

"Why would you think I'd do that?"

"Past record."

"That was one time."

"And those other times when you had Dorcas do your work for you... like let's see... when Miss Ingeldew almost died and last semester when Gabriel almost died."

"I had nothing to do with that, honest." Venetia's gentle smile was assuring but it was going to take a lot more than that to lure Charlie into wearing that cape.

"You'll get detention if you don't wear it."

"What's my first class?"

"Sewing."

"I'll make one."

Venetia shrugged. "Okay."

If she had bewitched the cape she wouldn't be okay with him making a new one, right?

He snatched Venetia's cape and put it on. Nothing happened. Well, that was a relief.


	3. Chapter 3

Charlie was fed up.

Venetia was driving him nuts!

Charlie kept that fact to himself.

Probably a smart choice.

It was 4:30 and so far he was doing a pretty good job at being "good"*.

"Venetia, may I borrow Charlie?" Asked Dr. Bloor walking up to them.

Charlie had never been so happy to see Dr. Bloor- in fact he couldn't remember a single instance when he had ever been happy to see him in the first place.

"Of course, Charlie, go with him!"

_I was planning on it. _ He thought.

"Okay," he shrugged as though it were nothing.

Dr. Bloor led Charlie through the school and up into the attics.

Well, now he could remember happier instances.

Like when he wasn't in Ezekiel Bloor's realm of the house.

Unfortunately Ezekiel Bloor's room was just where they were headed.

Dr. Bloor pushed Charlie towards the door. After some hesitation Charlie quietly knocked.

"Come in!" Ezekiel's screeching voice was like metal on metal.

Charlie slipped into the room.

"Shut the door boy, shut the door!"

Charlie closed the door.

"Well, now, Charlie Bone, I hear you've been keeping out of trouble today."

What. The. Heck. It was one day. Not a year or a month or even a week.

Just. A day. What was the big deal?

"Yes, sir." Charlie glanced at his feet not wanting to look at the disgusting creature in the wheelchair.**

"Are you planning on keeping this up?"

Was the guy clairvoyant?

"… I'm not sure."

He was sure... the answer was no.

"Well, tell me if you make up your mind. I might be able to do something in return. You are dismissed."

As Charlie started to open the door Ezekiel murmured.

"Like your father..."

Charlie froze.

"Where is this going?"

**Footnotes:**

* Evil

** Ezekiel


	4. Chapter 4

Ezekiel smiled at his probable triumph. "If you stay with us I might be able to tell you something you need to know about Lyell."

Charlie slowly turned around.

"I'm listening."*

"If you work with us, I can tell you where your father is if you'd like."

Charlie could hardly think.

"Just let me know when you decide."

"…yes, sir," Charlie walked out of the room.

Dr. Bloor was talking as he led him back to Venetia but Charlie was hardly conscious of it.

His thoughts were on what Ezekiel had said:

'If you work with us, I can tell you where your father is if you'd like.'

_Is he lying? _But somehow that thought seemed outrageous and unlikely.

"Charlie… Charlie… CHARLIE, are you even listening to me?" Dr. Bloor's voice interrupted his thoughts and he was tempted to snap at him. But the day wasn't over yet.

"…no… sorry, sir…"

Dr. Bloor sighed but he didn't talk anymore so Charlie zoned out again.

_I have to get dad back… I just have to… so… I guess…_

"Sir?"

Dr. Bloor glanced at him.

"I need to tell Ezekiel something."

"Go ahead." Said Dr, Bloor waving his hand towards the hall that indirectly led to the attics.

"Yes, sir."

Charlie ran down the hall, around a corner—and into Tancred Torrson.

"Charlie, what has gotten into you? You've avoided us all day!"

"Yeah…, I've got to go!"

Charlie continued quickly down the halls, completely unaware that Tancred quietly followed.

Tancred followed Charlie up through the halls. Higher and higher they went.

_Where is he going?_

Finally they reached the attics.

_Why on earth would Charlie come here?_

Charlie swiftly weaved through the attics making one or two wrong turns and having to retrace his steps so it took him some time before he got to Ezekiel's room.

Charlie knocked.

"Who is it?"

Tancred tried to stifle a gasp and force sense out of his head for comfort.

_Maybe he has a good explanation for being here… maybe he has to come… yeah that's it… Dr. Bloor made him come… or matron… or Manfred…_

"Charlie Bone," he seemed nervous about being here.

_There. He doesn't want to be here…_

"Come in!" screeched the horribly metallic voice of Ezekiel Bloor.

Charlie walked in and closed the door behind himself.

Tancred walked up to the door and put him ear on it.

"Have you made up your mind, Charlie?"

There was silence for a moment.

"Yes, sir…"

"And what did you decide? Are you going to take my offer or not? You'd have to take an oath."

Charlie took a deep breath.

_Dad would be worth that though wouldn't he?_

"Yes, sir… I am."

"Okay, then be in Manfred's office at lunch tomorrow. I'll have Florence de Grey there with us waiting, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

Suddenly there was a strong wind blowing everything all over the place and then there was rain and even a little bit of lightning.

Tancred didn't know what exactly had just happened, but he knew that Charlie had just taken some offer from Ezekiel Bloor and that Billy's ex-foster mother had something to do with it… Tancred did NOT need to go through what they had gone through with Billy again with Charlie. One problem. Charlie was very stubborn.

He stormed (hehe) down to the garden to tell everybody what he had heard.


	5. Chapter 5

Next morning at breakfast, Billy Raven stared sadly at Charlie as Manfred came up to him and said something- Billy couldn't see what- and Charlie got up and followed Manfred out.

Fidelio sighed.

"We've got to stop him," mumbled Billy.

"Even if Charlie does do it, it'll wear eventually." said Lysander.

"No it won't," said Billy.

They all glanced at him as he continued.

"The oaths never forget you, and they never wear off, _plus_ they're pure agony and torture if you break them, I thought I was dying when I broke mine."

"Come on," said Tancred leaping up. "We've got to stop him!"

"Let's go!" Billy chased after him but the others knew that a plan had to be made.

Charlie followed Manfred into a room in the west wing.

Florence de Grey, Ezekiel Bloor, Dr. Bloor, and the school matron were waiting fo him.

Manfred shoved him into a seat and sat opposite him.

"Alright, Charlie Bone, you know why you're here," said Dr. Bloor.

"Just to be sure, I must mention that I will tell you what you need to know a week from now," said Ezekiel calmly.

"Alright," said Charlie, "and next week you'll tell me where dad is?"

"Yes, as long as you sign the oath and keep it."

"Alright..."

"Check the spaces marked 'Yes' and sign your

name at the bottom," said Mrs. de Grey.

Charlie nodded as she lay a paper in fron of him:

Y N

_ _ 1. I promise to always do as I'm told by Ezekiel Bloor and anyone he instructs me to.

_ _ 2. I promise to do my best in school.

_ _ 3. I promise to stop plotting against the Bloors (not including Bartholemew and his family).

_ _ 4. I promise not to accosiate with the wrong side of the endowed (Paton Yewbeam, Emma Tolly, Tancred Torrson, etc.) unless told otherwise by Ezekiel Bloor.

_ _ 5. I promise not to tell, said, wrong side of the endowed about my oath or why I took it.

-X

Charlie hesitantly checked the spaces and signed his name.

"Run along, Charlie," said Ezekiel with a chilling smile. "There might be a few minutes left of breakfast."

Charlie left and once out of the room rushed towards the dinning hall, running into Billy and Tancred.

"Charlie, you didn't sign the oa-" started Billy.

"I did, and there isn't much you can do about it."

"Why did you do it?" asked Tancred.

"Because... well-" Charlie remembered requirement number five on his oath. "well... I realy can't tell you..."

"Come on, Charlie, what's a tiny bit of pain to your friends?"

"Tancred," snapped Billy iritably. "It hurts more than you would think, trust me."

"I... I did it because Ezekiel said I could have dad next week if I signed the oath... sorry... but I couldn't pass that up."

"Charlie..." said Billy softly. "Aren't you the one who told me that the Bloors lie all the time... and now you're trusti them?"

"I just don't think-ow!" cried Charlie falling to the floor. "Help..." he mumbled numbly.

"Tancred, go get someone to help!" cried Billy.

"Why don't you get someone to help?"

"Because, unlike you, I understand what he feels right now, please, hurry."

Tancred ran off.

"Charlie, what on earth were you thinking?" asked Billy gently as Charlie fell unconsious a look of pain on his face.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay so I haven't updated in so long, but I'll try to make this as long as I can to make up for the time missed!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own COTRK... really can't much more blunt that that. Jenny Nimmo and Orchard Books do.**

Tancred knew better, but it seems as if Matron was the best person to ask for help, as stupid as it seemed, so he ran to the infirmary and found that Matron Yewbeam was not there.

Fourtunately she came in with Manfred a few moments later.

"What do you want, Torrson?" snarled Manfred.

Tancred blew a harsh wind, but for the most part managed to keep his endowment under control.

"Matron, Charlie's hurt!" he cried ignoring Manfred's slight smirk.

"What's the silly boy done?" she snapped.

He was just talking and he fell over in pain!" he cried. "Please help him!"

When Charlie awoke he was in the infirmary, Billy and Tancred leaning over him.

"Charlie, you're awake!" cried Tancred.

"It hurts..." murmured Charlie.

"I know... it really does..." said Billy with a sigh.

"No more vistors!" snapped Matron marching in. "Get to class!"

The boys reluctantly left the infirmary and headed off to class.

"Well, well, that didn't take you long to break your promise," growled the Matron.

"I... sorry..."

_Why did I sign the stupid thing?_

"If you keep doing that you'll never get your father."

Charlie remembered why he had signed the oath.

Charlie's whole family came into the infirmary (excluding Lyell of course) all talking at once.

"Charlie, what happened?" Exclaimed Paton kneeling beside Charlie, who looked away not willing to break his oath again.

"He probably deserved it, the stupid boy..." muttered Venetia who had yet to hear about his oath.

"Well what happened?" snapped Grandma Bone.

Charlie saw an oppertunity for Paton to know his prediciment, without breaking the oaths.

"I signed an oath, Grandma."

Unfourtunately the oaths seemed to notice his loophole and he felt a stab of pain, crying out as he did.

"Oh, Charlie, why would you do that?" Paton wrapped his arms around Charlie, who desperately wanted to respond.

"Can somebody get Uncle Paton out?"

"Charlie?"

"Please, anyone?"

Venetia pushed and locked Paton out.

Eustacia sat in the chair beside Charlie's bed.

"So what did your oath say?"

"Well..." Charlie racked his brain. "I... I have to do everything Mr. Ezekiel tells me... I have to try hard in school... I can't plan against the Bloors... I said I wouldn't talk to the quote-unquote wrong side of the endowed and I can't tell them about my oath... that was what I accidently did..."

Eustacia looked pleased.

"You were wise to take that oath, but tell me, why did you?"

"Mr. Ezekiel told me that next week I could know where dad if I did..."

"Well, then..." Eustacia said looking at Charlie and reading his thoughts.

_I already miss Livvy... and Uncle P... and... everyone..._

"Charlie, there's nothing to miss," she said smiling and running her fingers through the small amount of har that wasn't quite as tangly. "You won't regret joining us, it's alot more beneficial."

"What's that mean?"

Eustacia sighed.

"Part one in doing your best in school: beneficial means you get benefits."

"Oh... mom?" he started before he cried out in pain, surprising everyone in the room.

"Let's give Charlie a break," said Lucretia ushering everyone out and turning the lights out as she followed them.

Eustacia was still reading his thouhts as she left.

_Grandma Bone SO owes me a candy bar..._


	7. Chapter 7

_Charlie was falling through air, when he hit the ground he couldn't move and there was a medival man before him, in chain mail holding fire in his hands._

_"Thanks for setting me loose, Charlie Bone, why don't you take a nice long coma to think about everything you've done against the Bloors for the last few years,"  
>"No, please, I just helped you..."cried Charlie.<em>

_"You should have done it sooner," snarled the man. "I didn't like the wait, so you can think about it for a while."_

_He snapped his fingers._

Charlie woke in cold sweat.

The sun was just setting.

"Charlie, you're up," Cook turned around from the door.

But Charlie was forved to pretend he hadn't heard and close his eyes again, the very same dream forcing its way into his mind.

The next time he woke up, it was Ezekiel Bloor by his side.

"Charlie Bone," he screetched. "Why did you break your oath?"

"I didn't mean to, okay? God..."

"Alright, but what did you do?"

"I wasn't thinking and I told Billy and Tancred about the oath... sorry..."

Ezekiel glared.

"I'm sorry," repeated Charlie.

"Why did you look scared while you slept?" Ezekiel moved on.

Silence.

"Tell me!"

"I... I had a dream... it was nothing... just a lion..."

"Tell the truth," said Ezekiel, his eyes boring into Charlie's.

"There was a man... he was going to put me into a coma... I don't remember all of it... I had been falling... and I think I had done something for him, but he was angry that I had taken so long..."

"What was the man like?"

"Medeival... dark... he had chain mail and he was holding fire..."

"Borlath."


End file.
